Written by: Jack Davis

Photo credit: Steve Conner

NAMPA — The No. 2-seeded Bear Lake Bears held off the top-seeded, and (previously undefeated) Sugar-Salem Diggers 65-57 in the 4A State Championship Game on Saturday.

The Bears received 24 points from their bench as they secured the state championship victory.

Bear Lake fended off multiple Sugar-Salem comeback attempts in the second half. With the win, the Bears captured their third state title in school history and their second in three years. The victory also served as redemption after falling to the Diggers in last year’s state championship game.

Sugar-Salem controlled the early moments, opening the game with a 10-0 run in the first quarter. However, Bear Lake responded and took a 15-14 lead by the end of the period. The Bears then exploded for a 19-2 run in the second quarter to build a 42-28 advantage heading into halftime. In the third quarter, Sugar-Salem pieced together several strong runs to cut the deficit to 55-44 with one quarter to play. The Diggers had multiple opportunities in the fourth but were unable to capitalize or gain sustained traction as Bear Lake closed out the 65-57 win.

Head coach Ken Wells reflected on the championship performance and the significance of defeating Sugar-Salem after last year’s result.

“It feels great,” Wells said. “They’re a phenomenal team, and anytime you compete against them it’s a great challenge. We battled, our girls fought and competed, and we’ve been planning on trying to win this game since last year.”

Halle Wells was named the IdahoSports.com Player of the Game after a dominant all-around performance with 14 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and seven blocks to lead the Bears. Abby Humpherys added 16 points off the bench while shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and Brooke Boehme chipped in 10 points.

“I think it shows that we can trust our teammates,” Halle Wells said. “We move the ball, find the open player, and just play well together. It feels good winning the state championship — our hard work has paid off.”

For Sugar-Salem, Andee Petterson delivered a standout performance despite the loss, finishing with 20 points and eight assists. Brinley Bradshaw added 12 points and six rebounds, while Tasha Larsen contributed 10 points for the Diggers.

“It was the greatest season of my life,” Petterson said. “Sometimes you come up short and get unlucky at the same time, but we’ll be back next year better than ever.”


BEAR LAKE (24-4) - Abby Humpherys 16, Halle Wells 14, Brooke Boehme 10, Avery Hunter 8, Peyten Crockett 7, Kortlyn Skinner 6, Desiree Alleman 4, Boston Pelto 0

SUGAR-SALEM (25-1) - Andee Petterson 20, Brinley Bradshaw 12, Tasha Larsen 10, Kalena Dayley 8, Sorelle Clark 4, Hallie Llewellyn 3, Miya Freeman 0